1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a sheet finisher and an image forming system.
2. Related Art
Heretofore, an image forming apparatus and a sheet finisher has been devised in order that a user may personally handle a light maintenance such as a jam disposal or an exchange of the toner bottle or the like. In general, a front covers that can be opened/closed by the user is arranged on a housing of the image forming apparatus or the like, and a limited mechanical part of such as the image forming apparatus can be exposed by opening the front covers.
However, although a part that is exposed when the front covers are opened is only a limited mechanical part, safeness of an operator is to be ensured.
Consequently, most of the image forming apparatus or the like has an interlock function, which turns on/off according to an opening/closing of the front covers of the housing. The interlock function functions so as to mechanically turn on/off a power line to a driving motor or the like mounted in the image forming apparatus.
A technique for displaying guidance, which shows work sequence, on an operation display or the like to assist users is known too, though it is not directly ensure the safeness of an operator (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 10-107940).
Meanwhile, in the case of complicated and advanced maintenance that requires serviceman, turning off a main power supply is postulated. Therefore the motion of the image forming apparatus (or the sheet finisher) is lead to be stopped in its entirety. As for such maintenance items, for example, there are items for exchanging carriers of developer, exchanging rollers arranged in a paper path, exchanging consumable parts such as clutches, a cleaning or the like. As for a specific example of the maintenance work, a unit to be maintained is firstly brought out from the image forming apparatus; some parts are exchanged; or a cleaning or the like is executed; after a disassembly operation such as taking off screws from predetermined spots; taking off wirings and so on. Then, reverse procedure to the disassembly operation is executed to execute assembly operation to reset the unit to be maintained onto the image forming apparatus.
For the purpose of improving a working efficiency and ensuring safeness of a serviceman, an image forming apparatus that is intended to improve a working efficiency and safeness by detecting release of a fixed unit so as to shut off a corresponding power supply is proposed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 10-274913).